El marc polític d'Austràlia

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

Governor General: Samantha MOSTYN (since 1 July 2024)
Prime Minister: Anthony ALBANESE (since 23 May 2022) - Australian Labour Party
King (Commonwealth): King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)

Next Election Dates

Senate: May 2028

Main Political Parties

Three parties dominate the political life:
- The Australian Labour Party: social democrat, centre-left
- The Liberal Party: conservative, centre-right, neoliberal
- The National Party of Australia (former Country Party): conservative, centre-right, mostly represents rural interests, in a coalition with the Liberal Party.

The Greens, the Katter's Australian Party (KAP), the Centre Alliance (CA) and Independent members are also represented in the parliament.

Executive Power

Australia is an independent nation that belongs to the Commonwealth, and recognises the British Monarch as its sovereign. As such, King Charles III is the Head of State. He is represented in Australia by a Governor General who has a symbolic function (they are appointed by her on the recommendation of the Prime Minister). The Prime Minister is the Head of the Government. The Prime Minister runs state business and appoints the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that wins the majority of seats in the House of Representatives at the General Election.

Legislative Power

The parliament is bicameral and composed of the Senate with 76 members and the House of Representatives with 151 members. Senators are elected for a six-year term, with half of the membership being renewed every three years. Members of the House of Representatives serve terms of up to three years. By Westminster convention, the decision as to the date on which an election is to take place is that of the Prime Minister, who 'advises' the Governor-General to set the process in motion by dissolving the House of Representatives (if it has not expired) and then issuing writs for election. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are responsible for parliament, of which they must be elected members.